Finally an image I am satisfied with. After a week of experimenting with the Dr. Ph. Martin paint I finally had a breakthrough, thanks to something my friend Lydia Makepeace said about how she uses the paint: just use the dropper to apply the pigment directly to wet paper. Ah, the clouds parted & the heavens opened! Such a better working method for this paint. Huge thanks to Lydia for the insight! I persevered with this paint, because the colors are so vibrant & different, than my favorite Winsor & Newton's. I am excited to see where things go now. Happy Tuesday Y'all!
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We had rain last week & most of the grass really greened up into that vibrant chartreuse color that happens for a moment in the spring. There is one spot in particular that I drive past that seems particularly lush with visible mowing lines. Additionally, I often drive past it in the afternoon when the light is shining thru the trees causing dark lines of cast shadows. That vision of grass is definitely the inspiration for the paintings. And while I have not fallen in love with the Dr. Ph. Martin watercolors I am thankful I persevered long enough to make these paintings, as I think think their chartreuse color is spot on. Happy Monday Y'all!
I know that one the internet it is sometimes difficult to comprehend the scale of things so let me assure you this is A LOT more oyster shells of one sheet of paper then have previously appeared. That is because along with acquiring the Dr. Ph. Martins watercolor I purchased another Princeton Neptune Oval Wash brush, but this one is only a 1/2in, as opposed to a 3/4in. You might think 1/4in. difference, no big deal, but it is! That 1/4in. takes away a third of the brush area, a full third. Hence the brush does not retain as much pigment & the individual strokes turn out quite differently. Of course, I love the brush & its hand feel, but again some of the nuance disappears when I do not have as much pigment to work with in the brush. This seems to be my unintended theme of the week: not as much nuance. Oh well... next week is another opportunity to try again. Happy Friday Y'all!
William Kentridge is an artist I greatly admire. His kinetic drawing style, combined with a sense of whimsy, tackles huge issues, both personal & global, with seeming ease. Kentridge eloquently gets at the heart of art-making with his discussion on the seriousness of play. It is almost as if when you are too distracted by the ART you can't make it, but if you allow yourself some leeway/play the art happens. I hope that you enjoy his work as much as I do & strongly encourage you to watch the longer documentary. It is well worth your time. Happy Wednesday Y'all!
The camellias continue to bloom, despite the fact that we are in another cold snap. There have been multiple hard freezes since they set their buds, & while some buds have just fallen to the ground, many continue to bloom. This can be a lovely metaphor for the life of an artist. Very few of us receive accolades, gallery shows, museum offers, consistently from the beginning. There are frosts & what you do during that time determines if you will fall to the ground & become mulch for something else, or hang on & display all of your beauty later. I guess these camellias could be a metaphor for lots of things in life. So if you are in a freeze remember the camellias & decide what you want to be at the end: mulch or beauty. Happy Friday Y'all!
Lots to think about & unpack in a quote like this. What constitutes beauty? Can beauty be found in what is broken, like kintsugi? What does redemption of the soul constitute to Emerson? Does that mean the same thing to me? Where do my faith & theology fit in with these words? An initial reading makes me think YES! But does it stand up under scrutiny? It will take at least a few days for me to suss that out. What do you think? Happy Thursday Y'all!
When I originally did my Rules for Healthy Living print I was amazed at the positive feedback it received. That was two years ago & since then I have revised my rules. I still think the first set is solid, but wanted to make some changes to the list. I worked at lettering these & it just didn't work; so, I used the Live Simply font, which is a hand drawn font by Jamie Cayanong. Approps, no? Happy Wednesday Y'all!
Those of you that know me in person, know that I almost exclusively wear black & white with the occasional hot pink thrown in. I really like the simplicity of it, its classic quality & modern edge. It works for me in my clothes, but sometimes I forget how much I like it in my work; Payne's Grey seduces me with it lovely nuance. I have recently rediscovered my love for Higgins Waterproof Ink. I used to buy it by the quart. In undergrad I completed huge works with this stuff (& by huge I mean wall sized). This ink is truly one of the materials I love, but somehow it ended up outside my repertoire for the past few years. Now it is back with a vengeance. My studio is covered with pattern pieces, large & small, all on black backgrounds with white gouache. I love it! Now I would love a gallery to show them in. Somehow white cubes make the work that much more real, for me at least. Here's to black & white! Happy Tuesday Y'all!
I love when I have the opportunity/ take the time to observe the sunrise & sunset. There is something very captivating about watching the sun fall away from our sight, while still illuminating, and then watch light show up with no visible ball of fire. It's all rather remarkable. So here are images of Saturday evenings sunset on the May River & Sunday mornings sunrise on Port Royal Sound. What do y'all enjoy observing/ find remarkable? Happy Monday Y'all! Maybe it is the post-Olympic visual processor that lead me to paint the flag or maybe it is the current news about the Ukraine, the first foreign country I visited, and it's dilemma with Crimea, Russia, Tartars, and the EU, which naturally leads me down the rabbit hole of nationality, place & belonging. Yes, as an artist my calling is to bring beauty, but it can also be to ask questions. So with my flag painting I ask you to consider your nationality & what it means to you. I also include John Green giving an overview about the problems in the Ukraine. Happy Thursday Y'all! |